Daniel Pierre Lamothe/Dapila Design Tiles

Since 1994, DAPILA has been exploring the architecture of the human body and each piece is handmade from hydrostone (white cement).

DAPILA has had 30 years experience as a visual artist and designer. In 1994, he invented the concept of the "Cement Design Body Tiles" and established his company. His tiles can now be seen in many parts of the world.

DAPILA was born Daniel Pierre Lamothe in 1956 in Chénéville, a tiny village surrounded by the Gatineau and Laurentian Hills in the southwestern part of Quebec. In 1966, his family moved to Timmins, Ontario, a northern gold mine industry town. He lives in Montreal since the early 1980s. Painting and sculpture are his main occupations.

DAPILA says his career started in his early rebellious teens. He was hanging out on the street in Timmins when a woman (a banner artist), invited him to discover the magic of watercolor paintings. He appreciated her art and attended weekly meetings.

In high school, he preferred visual and dramatic arts classes to anything else. He soon learned oil and acrylic painting techniques and got involved in creating theater props and set designs.

During that period he assisted his high school teachers in summer programs by giving arts & crafts workshops to children. There, he discovered the pleasures of the potter's wheel, ceramics and 3D arts.

At Algonquin College of Applied Arts & Technologies in Ottawa, he concentrated on acrylic painting, sculpture, ceramics and life drawing workshops. This intense two-year program gave him a solid base and confidence in his art and technique.

The next couple of years, while teaching pottery and ceramic courses at the Permanent Education Program of Algonquin College, he assembled and presented his first mixed media exhibition and installation entitled "Walls, Windows and Fields..." at The Saw Gallery in Ottawa in 1978.

During that period he also discovered the beauty of the baroque "Azulejos" (ceramic mosaics) on a first trip to Portugal and from then on the theme became central to his work. As architectural elements, the cracks in the walls and the human body are the principle leitmotivs of his art.

DAPILA has participated in international art events such as SOFA New York, Le Salon du Japon in Paris and the New York International Art Competition, where he was awarded the prize of excellence in 1987 and in 1990. He has presented on many occasions his "Cement Design Body Tiles concept": New York International Gift Show, Atlanta Gift Show, Chicago Gift Show, Philadelphia Rosen Show, San Francisco Gift Show, Salon des Métiers d'Art de Montréal, "One of a Kind" Show in Toronto, "Plein Art" in Québec and "Crafts" at Rhinebeck , NY. He has also had thematic solo expositions in Montreal, Timmins , Hearst and many group shows in Ottawa , Montreal , Peterborough , Quebec and Portugal.

Other creative work experience involves editorial graphics for the monthly magazine "Zone-Libre", freelance sound engineering for the French CBC Television Net Work for "Découverte" and "Enjeux", creation of visual effects for theater and Afro-jazz music group "El Kady", invention and fabrication of album covers and posters for the musical group "Grouette". He created and for four years operated a company that specialized in the creation of architectural miniature prototypes. He also created trophies for RadioRockDétente. Among the winners were: Céline Dion, Garou, Isabelle Boulé, Dan Bigras, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Luc Plamondon...

With his design tiles, DAPILA is committed to innovative design made with the highest quality materials. In creating your own assembly of tiles, the possibilities are endless. DAPILA regularly introduces new models representing a large, original collection.

Featured Collections:

Location: 8010 Illinois Road Fort Wayne, IN 46804 260.432.5498

Daniel Pierre Lamothe/Dapila Design Tiles

Featured Collections:

Location:
8010 Illinois Road
Fort Wayne, IN 46804
260.432.5498